The present invention relates to wearing apparel and, more particularly, to a sun shield accessory for caps.
Baseball-style caps with a bill in the front and an adjustment band in the back have become extremely popular and are worn by diverse segments of the population for work and leisure. Although such caps provide some protection by way of the bill for the face of the wearer, the caps leave the neck and ears totally exposed to the sun or other weather elements. Prior art has disclosed shields that are a part of or usable with the traditional cap with a bill, however, these sun shields typically require modification of the cap or have significant other disadvantages relating to ease of use, the comfort of wearing them, or the expense and difficulty of manufacture. For example, the cap with detachable sun shield shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,077 by Dondlinger requires that the cap include a cap band having hook strip material for attachment to the sun shield. U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,195 to Koritan discloses a sun shield which may be used with a cap, however, Velcro.RTM. fastening material is again required on the cap to secure the shield to the cap. An alternate embodiment in U.S. Pat. No. 5,046,195 depicts a semirigid plastic part with hooks to engage the band portion of the cap. U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,717 to Shedd utilizes alligator-type clips for attachment to the cap.
Hard plastic or metal parts add expense and complexity to the manufacture of shields. Where the hard parts are positioned between the cap and the wearer's head, or where they otherwise come into contact with the wearer, they can be uncomfortable or annoying. Other attachment means such as alligator clips can damage the cap. Additionally, prior art shields have limited or no flexibility regarding adjustment of the coverage of the shield.